Thursday, April 9, 2015

Worship notes for Easter 2, 2015

Thursday after the Resurrection of our Lord (Easter)

April 9, 2015

He is Risen.

This coming Sunday is the Second Sunday of Easter (Easter
2). The Easter season continues for fifty days and concludes on the Pentecost
Eve. Pentecost marks the beginning of our next season in the Church Year. Forty
days after Easter is the celebration of the Ascension of our Lord. Normally we
have a worship service with the other LC-MS congregations in the upstate, over
in Greenville, for Ascension. However, this year, the Southeastern District
Convention begins on Ascension so we will not be able to have such a service on
Ascension Day. We are talking of moving it to another day, but nothing is set
in stone yet. Once the day is selected, you will be informed.

The lectionary we use is a three-year one. It is followed by
most of our sister congregations. This is year B, which means most of our
Gospel lessons will come from Mark. The three-year cycle is: A = Matthew; B =
Mark; C = Luke. John is used in all three cycles as a supplement, providing
readings that are not covered in Matthew, Mark or Luke. One of those accounts
unique to John is the story of Thomas doubting the resurrection. So, on Easter
2, in each of the lectionary series, the Second Sunday of Easter uses the
Gospel of John and gives us the story of Thomas’ struggles.

Another feature of the lectionary during the Easter season
is the change in the first lesson read from the Bible. Normally the first
lesson is drawn from the Old Testament. However, in the Easter season, it is
drawn from the book of Acts. You might think of it as the story of the spread
of the Easter message.

Our appointed lessons for Sunday are: Acts 4:32–35; 1 John
1:1—2:2; John 20:19–31. The sermon text will be John 20:26. The sermon is
titled “The Continuing Story of Easter.” While Thomas is certainly spoken of in
the message, the main thrust of the sermon will be the spread of Easter.

For our liturgy we will use Divine Service setting 1. This
is a communion service. Our reflect, either our readings (sermon hymn), the
place in the service (one of the distribution hymns) or the season (all our
other hymns). The opening hymn is “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today” (LSB
469). Our sermon hymn is “These Things Did Thomas Count as Real” (LSB
472). Our closing hymn is “This Joyful Eastertide” (LSB 482). And
finally our distribution hymns are “I Am Content! My Jesus Ever lives” (LSB
468), “Jesus Comes Today with
Healing” (LSB 620), and “Now All the Vault of Heaven Resounds” (LSB
465).

Below is a video of one of our distribution hymns, “Now All
the Vault of Heaven Resounds” (LSB 465). The congregation is Grace Lutheran in San
Diego, a church I have visited in the past.

What follows is a synopsis of Sunday’s lessons, provided by
the synod, then the lessons. Following that are some additional notes of
interest.

The Risen Christ Breathes His
Peace in the Holy Absolution

The crucified and risen Lord Jesus appeared to His
apostles on the first Easter Sunday. He “came and stood among them,” and
with His Word and the wounds in “his hands and his side,” He
granted them His peace (John 20:19–20). He sent them as ministers of the Gospel
in His name to bestow the life-giving Holy Spirit for us and for His whole
Church through the forgiveness of sins (John 20:21–23). Through this apostolic
ministry, He calls us to believe that He “is the Christ, the Son of God,”
so that by such faith we “may have life in his name” (John
20:31). The apostles “have seen and heard” this divine
life manifested in the flesh of Christ, and those who succeed them in this
apostolic ministry now proclaim that same Absolution to us, so that we “too
may have fellowship” with the
risen Christ, with the apostles and “with one another” (1 John 1:1–7).
The one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church lives by “their testimony to the
resurrection of the Lord Jesus,” and all who believe this Word are “of
one heart and soul,” because in Him they truly have “everything
in common” (Acts 4:32–33).

Acts 4:32-35

32Now
the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one
said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had
everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their
testimony to the resurrection of the Lord 33Jesus, and great grace
was upon them all. 34There was not a needy person among them, for as
many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of
what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet, 35and it was
distributed to each as any had need.

1 John 1-2:2

1:1That
which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our
eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word
of life—2the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and
testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father
and was made manifest to us—3that which we have seen and heard we
proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed
our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4And
we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

5This
is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light,
and in him is no darkness at all. 6If we say we have fellowship with
him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7But
if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one
another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8If
we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9If
we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10If we say we have not sinned,
we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

2:1My
little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But
if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the
righteous. 2He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours
only but also for the sins of the whole world.

John 20:19-31

19On
the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked
where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them
and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20When he had said this, he
showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw
the Lord. 21Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the
Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22And when he had
said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If
you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold
forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

24Now
Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25So
the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them,
“Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the
mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

26Eight
days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although
the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with
you.” 27Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my
hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but
believe.” 28Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29Jesus
said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who
have not seen and yet have believed.”

30Now
Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not
written in this book; 31but these are written so that you may
believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may
have life in his name.

Some Additional Notes

Again,
thank you to those who
provided us with breakfast Easter morning.

Thank you to our seasonal Choir for their
dedication to the Lord and willingness to serve him and his people.

Remember, we have pledged to pray
for our neighbors. You can get a list of your 100 your closest neighbors
from pray4everyhome.com. If you have no internet access, speak with
Rachel Swain or Kitty Rickert and they will sign you up and get you a
list.